Tractor-trailer spills payload of champagne in I-395 wreck

Interstate 395 northbound in Griswold was shut down between Exits 85 and 86 at about 2:14 p.m. Wednesday after a tractor-trailer, apparently carrying wine and champagne, struck a state Department of Transportation vehicle which was parked in the breakdown lane performing highway maintenance. ...

By HEATHER LAKE

The Bulletin

By HEATHER LAKE

Posted Sep. 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 18, 2013 at 6:19 PM

By HEATHER LAKE

Posted Sep. 18, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 18, 2013 at 6:19 PM

Griswold, Conn.

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Interstate 395 northbound in Griswold was shut down between Exits 85 and 86 at about 2:14 p.m. Wednesday after a tractor-trailer, apparently carrying wine and champagne, struck a state Department of Transportation vehicle which was parked in the breakdown lane performing highway maintenance.

The tractor-trailer, driven by William Wronski, 56, of Blackstone, Mass., was traveling north in the right lane and failed to yield to the construction site, striking the rear end of the DOT truck, driven by James Tuttle, 34, of Stonington, and causing the 18-wheeler to fall on its side. The trailer broke open and scattered its contents across the entire roadway, according to state police.

The DOT truck sustained moderate damage while the 18-wheeler was totaled, according to police.

Both drivers were transported to The William W. Backus Hospital with minor injuries.

Crews were still clearing the scene at 7 p.m. By that time, most of the boxes and broken glass had been cleaned up, and a Bobcat loader was clearing what remained. One lane was open and traffic was slow but steadily making its way past the wreckage.

But earlier in the afternoon, it was a different story. The road was shut down in both directions, distracting drivers on the other side of the road, which bystanders said resulted in a mini pileup. Onlookers took in the scene from the bridge overpass on Norman Road.

Vivian Pendleton, of Griswold, whose daughter-in-law is a school bus driver, said she would have been caught in the mess were it not for her son suggesting an alternate route; meanwhile Pendleton received a call from the school system warning parents about the delay.

One man, who apparently wanted a closer look, went around the bridge and attempted to scale the steep tree and bush-covered rock only to end up rolling and sliding down the slope and hitting the ground with a thump, witnesses said.

Emergency personnel on hand for the accident bandaged his hand and his elbow and sent him on his way.

By 7:20 p.m., a second tow truck had arrived to pick up the bed of the 18-wheeler. The demolished cab had already been hauled away, and there was no sign of the state vehicle.

“There’s one package store that isn’t going to get their delivery,” Pendleton said.